Pasta recipes

Crayfish etouffee built on a deep buttery base of onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, simmered with tomato paste, white wine, and tender crayfish tails. The Cajun classic, served over rice. Best made a day ahead.

Thai green chicken curry with coconut cream, eggplant, basil, and green curry paste. An authentic Gaeng Kiow Wahn Gai with rich, aromatic coconut sauce.

Homemade mustard cooked with dry mustard, white wine, vinegar, and egg yolks. One base recipe, four variations: lime, tarragon, spicy, and tomato. Keeps a month in the fridge.

Grilled filet mignon sliced thin and marinated in chili paste, fish sauce, and vinegar, then served over crisp lettuce with cucumber-papaya rolls and a zesty lime dressing.

Crispy chicken chunks coated in water chestnut flour, deep-fried golden, then tossed with roasted peanuts in a spicy sauce of chili paste, dark soy, sesame oil, and Chinese red vinegar. Restaurant-quality kung pao at home.

Thirty cloves of garlic, white wine, cinnamon, and cumin transform beef stew into a Greek stifado that smells like a Mediterranean kitchen. Topped with crumbled feta and crunchy walnuts for the finish.

A scrumptious cake made with raisins, glaced cherries and dark rum which makes it a popular Christmas favorite in the Caribbean.

Ambush your tastebuds with this savory chili made with succulent beef chuck, jalapeno peppers and red hot pepper sauce.

Cold spicy soba noodles tossed in a creamy tahini, sesame oil, and chili dressing with reduced soy sauce, brown sugar, and balsamic. The Japanese-style cold noodle bowl ready in 40 minutes.

Creole shrimp stew with a peanut-brown roux, the holy trinity of celery, onion, and bell pepper, and tender shrimp simmered just until pink. Served over hot rice.

Mongolian hot pot with thinly sliced lamb, spinach, napa cabbage, and bean thread noodles cooked tableside in ginger-scallion broth with a spicy tahini dipping sauce.

Sichuan shredded pork in yu shon (fish-fragrant) sauce with wood ear mushrooms, water chestnuts, and hot bean paste. A spicy-sweet-sour stir-fry that hits every flavor note.

Molasses barbecued ribs get a salt-vinegar brine soak, then a grill basting of dark molasses sauce loaded with onion, pepper, celery, tomato, cloves and allspice. Smoky, tangy, sticky, and built for summer.

Vegetarian roasted bell peppers stuffed with sauteed mushrooms, pine nuts, olives, and fresh marjoram in a homemade tomato sauce, topped with Parmesan. A colorful, hearty meatless main.

Jumbo prawns butterflied and stuffed with a garlic-coriander-chicken paste, then grilled on skewers until bright orange. Served with a tangy sweet-sour cucumber salad on the side.

Hearty vegetarian chili with meatless crumbles, dried apricots, and warm spices, simmered in beer and tomato sauce for a sweet-savory twist on classic chili.